Nikon N90s ... unsung $70.00 hero?

Keith

Keith

The best camera is one that still works!
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A year or two ago I bought an N90s on a whim for $70.00 after reading Stephen Gandy's comment that he thought they were one of the more underrated of the AF Nikons and I figured an auto focus camera in the cupboard may come in handy one day!

I never had a lens for the thing until I bought an FM3A recently and then picked up an F mount 50mm Planar from Matsuiya ... the other day I thought I'd finally give the N90s a spin with the Zeiss and a roll of Neopan.

What a solid no frills (apart from AE and AF :p) brick this SLR is! It feels like it could take a lot of abuse and this one appears to have taken plenty but feels like it could do it for quite a few more years yet.

Does anyone else have one of these? ... I'm beginnign to think it was seventy dollars well spent. I've always lusted after an F6 but this thing seems more than capable of delivering the goods ... for my needs anyway. Mind you, I wouldn't have a clue how good the auto focus is?

But it was a hell of a lot cheaper than an F6! :D
 
I've had an F90x (European equiv. of the N90s), and it was a great camera. Responsive, very good AF, dependable. The one thing that did it in, was the back. The material covering it turned into goo over time. It's a weak link on that otherwise splendid camera..
 
I had one back about a dozen years ago. Great camera, good autofocus, nifty flash modes (including off the film, try that with a dslr), etc. All the backs peeled. I paid like ten times that for mine used at a time when the dollar went a lot farther. Its certainly an excellent deal if you have lenses you want to use with it. Actually mine was just the N90, the N90s would have set me back even more and as a student I couldn't splurge like that. Do be aware that a lot of these were used hard by photojournalists even though they weren't a pro line camera.
 
pvdhaar said:
I've had an F90x (European equiv. of the N90s), and it was a great camera. Responsive, very good AF, dependable. The one thing that did it in, was the back. The material covering it turned into goo over time. It's a weak link on that otherwise splendid camera..
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Ah ... funny you should mention that. I spent a lot of time and effort getting that stuff off with methylated spirit ... the end result doesn't look too pretty but at least it feels ok now! :)
 
Thebes said:
I had one back about a dozen years ago. Great camera, good autofocus, nifty flash modes (including off the film, try that with a dslr), etc. All the backs peeled. I paid like ten times that for mine used at a time when the dollar went a lot farther. Its certainly an excellent deal if you have lenses you want to use with it. Actually mine was just the N90, the N90s would have set me back even more and as a student I couldn't splurge like that. Do be aware that a lot of these were used hard by photojournalists even though they weren't a pro line camera.
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It never ceases to amaze me that you can pick a up a camera like this for $70.00 ... I think I read they were around $1000.00 new?

It still functions like new, the viewfinder is impressive and certainly a close match for my FM3A! It has an extremely accurate spot meter and has plenty of useful functions without actually being the least bit over complicated!
 
Nikon film bodies are in general a fantastic deal. F100s can be had for a couple of hundred bucks, FE2-generation for a hundred or so. All absurdly capable. I remember wanting the F90 when it was beyond my means, now an embarrassment of riches.

Unfortunately the Nikon glass hasn't come down anywhere near as much in price ))
 
I got an F90 free when I purchased a used lens. It's in decent shape but the "rubber" at the back is flaking off.

I love the big bright viewfinder!

I've been trying to find a new home for mine as I'm not going to shoot film, but I literally can't give mine away ;)
 
I still use my N8008s. I put an MF-20 databack on it, does not have the material issue. You might look at an MF-25 or MF-26 back, check out the covering.
 
Keith, it's a great camera. Beat up a couple of them back in the day, and never had a problem (except for the back covering, which actually peeled off mine instead of turning to goo, thank goodness). Unless you just need cutting edge features, the N/F90 will serve you as well as an F6.
 
I shot about 2500 rolls of film through a pair of these in 1998/99. The viewfinder and AF in the F100 and later Nikon SLRs are better, but I still have both mine and they still work perfectly. I have the MB10 grip for both of them; the only problem I ever encountered was that when the MB10 gets VERY dirty if you replace the batteries the latch doesn't re-engage and the battery tray slides out. If you clean the latch, it works again.

It works very well with the SB26 strobes that were way ahead of their time - it was another few generations before Nikon made another strobe that good.

But picking up and carrying a big Lowepro satchel with 2 N90s bodies, a 28-70/2.8, an 80-200/2.8, a 50/1.4 or 58/1.2, 2 SB26s and various cords, abtteries and filters makes me remember why I got into Leicas.

Marty
 
The back door on the N90 is a good indicator. Find a back door in good shape and you have found a little used camera. That's how I got one off e bay for $80 and it is great. Very smart meter. I wish Leica could put that N90 meter in my M6. Joe
 
Yes, they are quite a bargain these days. I recall buying mine brand spanking new when they first came out for $1200 CAD. IIRC when the F90x was introduced it had better AF and flash metering than the F4 which was the current pro camera at the time.That was the last new body I bought till the D700 came out. I never saw a need to up grade to a better AF body. Mine is the F90x which was the designation for the rest of the world, not just Europe, other than the USA. It has served me well and for what they are worth today it can sit and collect dust in my cabinet in retirement. Enjoy your bargain.

Bob
 
Not to shift gears too much, I just want to say that many cameras from that era were awsome. Since I was never a Nikon user (yet did try them - N90s, F5, F100 a couple of times), but a Canon one, I still have a like to use old EOS film cameras, like RT, 630, 1n. There were many cameras that were made well, simple to use and still deliver good results. I think Minolta had some pretty good ones as well.
 
Keith, the N90s is a GREAT camera. I bought mine new in 1998, and have used it constantly for 13 years now, and it's perfect. I have used it with many AF lenses and it's a camera I trust in any situation. Never had any mechanic or electronic problem with it. If one day I did, I'd buy another one again. Once I broke its 4 AA battery holder, and got it: it's available even today on ebay. Lots of good shooters use that camera, having been the company of the F4, F5 and F6.

Cheers,

Juan
 
For another $50 you can get an F100, which has a few minor flaws but otherwise is probably the best electronic Nikon film camera ever, at least value-wise if you consider the F6 the absolute best.
 
I bought mine for $140 and it came with the battery grip and the databack. It's been sitting in my drybox for weeks because of its weight. But I do like its features. I haven't regretted spending the money for it. In my country, the F100's price is twice of the F90x's price which is why I bought the F90X instead.
I'm still saving up for a used F6 though. :D
 
I had an F90x for a while. It was a back up to my F100. Not a bad little camera (well, smaller than the F100 at least), but I couldn't really get along with the meter. It was good, but not excellent like the meter in the F100. I also missed the AF ON button.

I eventually sold it to a friend for what I paid for it ($65 off Kijiji). She still uses it.
 
I recently picked up a F90x (with the optional data back) at a camera show. I got it to use in situations where I'd typically take my DSLR instead of one of my rangefinders, i.e., lots of action, kids running around, interiors where I can make use of Nikon's sophisticated TTL flash system, etc. The camera has many of the advanced features of modern DSLRs, so it's quite easy to move back and forth between it and my Nikon D40x. One less reason to shoot digital now. For what I paid ($75 CDN), I consider it a steal. I've been impressed with the handling and results so far.

It's actually a great time to be shooting film right now. I get to use cameras I could only dream about owning 10 years ago. Scanning my own negatives gives me the best of both worlds IMO (analog capture, digital post), and the choice of film stock is pretty plentiful in my area (Toronto). More importantly, switching back to film (about 80% of the time), has helped energize my creativity, and improved my photography considerably, IMHO (through more careful consideration of film stock, lens choice and characteristics (which I find more pronounced in film vs digital), metering, and by forcing me to slow down when working manually). I find I spend MUCH less time messing around in PS afterwards.
 
I bought one (F90x) new when they came out.Had if for 5 or 6 years and never had a problem,peeling back or anything.Loved that camera and also the F801s that I used with it.Solid cameras.They go for dirt cheap now.Anything from that era is almost worthless now.Jeez,I have a Canon EOS 3 in excellent condition that I can't get $150 for and that's a phenominal camera.Too bad.
 
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